Christmas Shoes
by LizzieG3
Summary: 5 years after Oliver has given up being Green Arrow, he meets a little boy buying his sick mother a pair of Shoes for Christmas. The meeting takes him on a journey to not only save the mother, but also to remind him what it is to be a hero. Chloe/Oliver
1. Chapter 1

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

A/N: Ok here it goes. I wrote my first completed short fic not to long ago,and now I'm gonna try for a chapter story. This idea came to me while listening to the song Christmas shoes, and while the first chapter reflects the song quite a bit, the rest of the story will be different. Look forward to seeing all of your favorite JL members as they help Oliver save someone special, become the hero he can be, and learn the meaning of Christmas.

-As of now I do not have a beta or anyone reading my work besides me, so please excuse any errors, although if you notice something and want to tell me I appreciate Constructive Criticism.

-Also a big THANKS to everyone who read and especially those who reviewed my story My Circle. I very much appreciated the feedback.

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

Chapter 1

Oliver Queen glanced down at his watch for the third time as he stood impatiently in line. There was nothing he disliked more then being at a stand still, and this line seemed to be moving at glacier speed.

He glanced around taking in the holiday decorations that left no question as to what time of year it was. Everywhere he looked he saw fake Christmas trees, boxes wrapped with huge bows, cotton snow with specks of glitter, gaudy ornaments of red and green, and of course one too many Santa's.

He was greeted by a Santa ringing a bell at the entrance, then almost ran over by 3 children running towards a Santa set up in the center of the mall, his current cherry coke bottle sported a picture of the man in red, and the cashier ringing up the slowest ever moving line had on a Santa hat and a white bushy beard that actually might be authentic.

As he gazed towards the front of the store, he noticed a cardboard Santa display holding a days until Christmas sign. On the board was a large red 7. One week; one week until the holiday was over and the world could get back to being what it was, as opposed to using tinsel and garland as a poor attempt to cover up the ugly truth.

And what was that truth.

The truth was that the world was filled with people who didn't care, who only looked out for themselves and no one else. The whole world was crumbling in heaps of despair and pain, and all people were worried about was whether they could get their hands on a Wii.

There was a time when he did care. A time where he was delusional enough to believe that he could make a difference. He thought he could better the world with one good deed at a time, and maybe blow up a few evil labs for good measure. He had organized a group of guys, all who had amazing abilities, and with his leadership, the power to change the world.

For awhile he actually believed in his own save the earth from evil bald headed billionaires spiel. Then all his idealisms came crashing down on him with the knowledge and truth behind his parents deaths. He was just finally making peace with it all when he learned that they died because they were apart of some secret society, which ironically was named for truth.

One man had decided they, along with its other members, were a liability, and with his power he eliminated the potential threats, and unfairly faced no consequences for his actions. And now that man was dead, and Oliver could never confront him and find that ever fleeting closure.

It was too late to get revenge for his parents, and if he couldn't save them, or even himself for that matter, why should he bother with saving the world. A world who let a murdering bastard live a full life, while his good and loving parents died before their time to become nothing more then a tragic headline.

Oliver brought his attention back to his current predicament, standing in another line purchasing a gift he didn't even want to get. Being the rich billionaire he was, he usually would have had someone else taking care of the unpleasant task, but his personal assistant had requested the next two weeks off. He had no problem giving her the time off; he just wished he would have realized he needed a gift for his current 'flavor of the month' as his friend Bruce called them, before she left.

It never even occurred to him that he was expected to purchase anything for Netasha. That was until he received a message on his blackberry earlier that day that she made reservations at his favorite restaurant and that she was looking forward to exchanging gifts.

So here he was, buying some jewelry he didn't know, or honestly care, if she would like. He just asked for the most expensive set and figured it would be good enough. That's what gift giving was all about these days anyway right, the biggest and most expensive.

He looked down at his watch for the fourth time now, and noticed the line moved a little. Now there were only two others in front of him. The lady that was currently checking out was probably in her mid 30's, and looked very worn out and frazzled. She had a long piece of paper out and was making check marks and other notes. Oliver looked on in wonder as the cashier filled bag after bag of merchandise. Who knew people could buy so much for one day.

Movement directly in front of him drew his attention from the lady. The other customer in line before him was a little blond boy who could have been no more then 8 or 9. He was dressed in jeans that where just a tad to short on him, scuffed up sneakers with what looked like a broken lace, and his jacket looked like it had seen better days.

He watched as the kid waited anxiously, pacing around like little boys do and that's when he saw that in this child's hands, he held a pair of shoes.

The shoes were definitely for a woman, maybe the kid's mom or older sister. They were emerald green in color, simple in design with only a small heel to give it a dressier look.

Oliver looked around discreetly, but didn't see anyone that looked like they belonged with the boy. It seemed unusual for such a young boy to be out at the mall alone and he was surprised his parents allowed him to wander off.

As the lady finished paying and gathering her bags, the boy quickly stepped up to the counter. He laid his shoes onto the counter like precious cargo and looked up at the cashier. Oliver listened in disbelief at what the boy had to say.

"Sir I'd like to buy these shoes for my mama please. Green is her favorite color, at least that what she says all the time. She's says that to her, green always reminds her of hope. Right now we all need some hope, because Grandpa Gabe said there's not much time. You see, she's been sick for quite awhile, and I think that these shoes's will make her smile and when she smiles she is the most beautiful person you have ever seen and I want her to look beautiful for when she is ready for heaven."

When he finished talking, he began to pull out crumbled bills from various pockets. He added some quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies to the growing pile. When he was sure he turned out every available pocket he smiled and pushed the money closer to the cashier and looked up at him expectantly.

The cashier quickly counted the money, and then sadly looked down at the boy. "I'm really sorry son, but there isn't enough here. "

The boys face crumbled at his words, and he turned back towards me with tears in his eyes. "My mom is the most important person in my life. She gave up so much for us, and did her best to give us everything she could. She was there when no one else was. For once I want to give her something. I want to give her hope. Sir what am I gonna do, somehow I just have to buy these shoes."

Oliver felt his heart swell with something he thought he no longer had. He knew he just had to help him out so he reach for his wallet and removed several bills from it. As he laid the money down, he watched as the boy's face lit up.

Before Oliver knew what was happening, the boy leaped at him throwing his arms around his waist in a big hug. He looked up at Oliver's face and said, "Thank you so much! Mama's gonna look so great!"

The boy then grabbed his bag with the shoes and took off out the door with a final wave barely concealing his excitement.

Oliver remembered not seeing anyone with the boy and decided to find out where the kids parents were. "Hey kid, wait up!"

He turned towards the cashier, "Keep the change." Then setting down his non-paid for present, set off after the boy.

Oliver reached him just as he was stepping outside. He laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him from taking off.

"Hey kid hold on."

The boy looked at him questioningly. "Is something wrong? Oh, did you want my number so that I can pay you back. I don't have anymore money right now but I'm sure my older brother does."

"Naw don't worry about it. I was actually just wondering what you were doing at the mall alone. Where are your parents?"

"Umm, well Mom's too sick to go out, Grandpa Gabe's at work, so are my aunt and uncle, and I don't have a dad."

"You mentioned a brother, what about him."

The boy looked down with guilt all over his face. "Well, I might have been supposed to ride the bus home from school, and instead I got off early and walked to the mall." As he said this he scuffed his already worn sneaker into the ground.

Oliver tried to hide a smirk. "You might have huh. Well how are you getting home now?"

With a slight shrug he replied, "I can walk; it's not that far, just a few blocks."

Oliver nodded his head. "Right, well how about this? Why don't I give you a ride home, and you can introduce me to your Mom. She seems like such a wonderful person I'd hate to miss the chance to meet her."

"I really shouldn't, I mean I'm not supposed to even talk to strangers, let alone get rides from them. How do I know you won't kidnap me or something?"

"You are a very smart kid. You shouldn't talk or take rides from strangers. So how about this, first we will introduce ourselves, then instead of a ride, I'll just walk with you and keep you company on your way home. How does that sound."

"Sounds alright to me."

"Great. Well I'm Oliver Queen it's a pleasure to meet you," he said holding out his hand."

The boy smiled and grabbed his hand giving it a firm shake. "My name is Jacen Sullivan, but you can call me Jace."

Oliver let go of Jace's hand and furrowed his brow. "Did you say Sullivan? Your Mom's name isn't Chloe Sullivan is it?"

****

Well that's it for chapter 1. I have some free time coming up and plan to work on this story even though it's going to be after Christmas when I finally finish. Please read and review and let me know what you think so I know how I am doing.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! This chapter should answer _some _questions. Keeping reading to find out!

Chapter 2

"Your Mom's name isn't Chloe Sullivan is it?"

Jace looked up at Oliver surprised. "Yeah it is. How do you know her?"

Oliver opened and closed his mouth like a fish for a few seconds trying to come up with an answer that might appease the boy. Finally he decided it was best to stick with the truth, or at least as close to the truth as possible. "Well, I use to date her cousin Lois, and then for a while she worked some…side jobs for me."

"You use to date Aunt Lois? She's way cool. She gave me a plasma grenade for my birthday, but mom took it away 'cause she said I was too young for military issued weapons."

Oliver chuckled. "That sounds like Lois."

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Jace happily bouncing along with his prized shoes in his hands; while Oliver let his mind wander to the curious situation he seemed to have found himself in.

He hadn't set foot in Metropolis in over five years, not since that day on his plane where he and Clark argued about the Veritas situation and his decision to give up being Green Arrow. And in all that time, he hadn't had contact with anyone affiliated with what was once the unofficially named Justice League.

It never would have occurred to him that one quick shopping trip would change that.

Yet here he was, walking beside Chloe's son. A son he had no idea existed.

Chloe Sullivan, once the unofficial Watchtower for a group of boys playing hero.

He remembered when he recruited her. He had met her through both Lois and Clark. On the outside she appeared to be fairly average, although he could tell right away that she had a drive. A drive that most peopled lacked these days. At the time, he thought that drive was solely on her writing career. Then she showed up at the Watchtower ready to do whatever she needed to help save Bart and Clark.

When he realized she knew his identity, as well as the others identities, he had been unsure how to except that. But when he saw how much of a support system she was for Clark, he grew envious, and secretly wanted that for himself.

He approached her not long after that incident unbeknownst to any one else, especially Clark. At first he asked her to hack into some files that he thought held information on 33.1. It was a quick job, and barely took anytime at all.

He came to her with a second job, and then a third.

Then he came to her more frequently. Mostly it was for research and hack jobs, but sometimes it was advice on how he should proceed with a plan, or her insight into the research she helped gather. Eventually even that evolved further and he found himself talking to her about things that weren't Justice related. Oliver found himself opening up to Chloe about things he never could talk about with anyone else, and because she knew everything he never felt the need to keep anything secret.

She truly was the perfect confidant, and if he thought about it, in the time they were together, he began to consider her his best friend.

When he hung up his bow and arrow, he didn't just give up being a hero, he gave up the best friend he ever had. He had taken the coward's way out, and after making the decision of giving up his heroing ways, he never contacted Chloe, knowing that just hearing her voice would make him reconsider.

In that time he had missed out on so much of her life. Somewhere along the way, she became a mother and now, she was dying.

Oliver turned his attention back to the young blonde bopping along beside.

He cleared his thought drawing Jace's attention to him. "So Jace, you said you had a brother?"

"Umhmm, I have two older brothers."

Oliver looked down in surprise. "_Two_ older brothers?"

"Yep. Travis and Michael. Travis is 11 and Michael is 13."

"Oh."

The two fell into silence again.

Oliver had many more questions he would have liked to ask Jace, but he held his curiosity in check. While Jace seemed like a smart and capable boy, he was just a boy and he was sure Chloe more then likely kept him sheltered from many of the more, questionable points of her life.

Plus in all reality he doubted the kid could answer most of his questions anyway.

For instances, the last time he had seen Chloe had been 5 years ago. Now while he knew he tended to be goal orientated and single minded missing anything that failed to do with what his attention was on, he was pretty sure that he would have noticed her tugging around a 3 year old and his older brothers. Plus she was only 22 at the time, and even though it wasn't completely impossible, 3 kids before she was 19, highly doubtful.

So now here he was trying to figure out how in a five year period she managed to acquire three boys. Plus if what Jace had said was true, there didn't seem to be a father figure in the mix.

What was most troubling though was the fact that Jace said she was dying. Maybe he was still stuck in the illusion that they were indestructible, but the notion that Chloe was sick was difficult for him to grasp. For the original members of the justice league, it was an unspoken understanding that what they were doing was dangerous, and could lead to serious injury or even death. But each one of them put there lives on the line for the cause.

Even though Chloe was never an official member, she was an honorary one, and he just couldn't believe that she could be beaten by a sickness.

Oliver's thoughts were cut short by a shout behind him.

"Jace! Where have you been?"

Both Jace and Oliver turned towards the voice.

"You didn't get off of the bus. I stood there waiting for you. I am _so_ telling Mom."

"I did so get off the bus. Just not at that bus stop," Jace shot back sticking his tongue out at the boy.

Another boy walked up smacking Jace on the back of the head. "Where have you been? You know you are supposed to come home right after school. The last thing Mom needs to be worrying about is where you've run off to." He turned his attention to the other boy. "And you will not be telling Mom anything. She needs to rest, not be stressed out over stupid stuff."

Oliver watched the three interact. These were obviously the other Sullivan boys.

"I wasn't doing stupid stuff. I was buying Mom's Christmas present. See." He held up the bag carrying the shoes. "But I didn't have enough money, so Mr. Queen helped me. He says he knows Mom and Aunt Lois."

The two boys finally seemed to acknowledge his presence.

He extended his arm to the older boy. "I'm Oliver Queen by the way. You must be Michael." After shaking his hand he turned towards the younger boy. "And you must be Travis."

If he was expecting easy acceptance from them like with Jace, he was mistaken. They regarded him with a looks of unfamiliarity and distrust.

Michael, spoke first. "How do you know Mom?"

"He used to date Aunt Lois," Jace piped in helpfully.

"_You _use to date Aunt Lois." He gave him a once over. "Well, with as many guys Mom said she use to date, one was bound to show up. Sorry to disappoint, but she's involved with someone right now, and not looking to rekindle old relationships. So if you wanna continue on your way, we have to get home now. Come on guys." He reached out and grabbed Jace's shoulder steering him in the direction of the house.

"Actually, I was hoping to see your Mom."

Travis cocked his head to the side. "I thought you dated Aunt Lois, why would you want to see our Mom."

"Well, Chloe and I were also friends. We worked together sometimes and saw a lot of each other. I just want to catch up."

Still sensing the boys' hesitance, he pulled out his wallet removing a lone photograph. It was taken outside Clark's barn right after their first mission as a group. Chloe wanted to capture the moment of their victory, so gathered the boys together for a group shot. Bart set up the camera, and then super sped back in time to sneak a kiss on Chloe's cheek before the flash went off. After she printed the pictures, she sent each of the boys a copy as a memento. It was the only tie he kept of those days, other then a locked room with his old gear.

He held the picture out to the boys. "Here, this is a picture of us."

The Sullivan kids gathered around the picture.

"Hey look, there's Uncle Clark. He's wearing that goofy jacket Mom and Aunt Lois tried to burn last Fourth of July," Jace said laughing.

Michael handed the picture back to Oliver. "So you use to be friends. Where have you been? I haven't ever seen you around."

"I don't live here in Metropolis, I live in Star City. I left a few years ago and business has kept me away. If I had known Chloe was sick, I would have come back earlier. I just want to see her, maybe see if there is anything I can do."

"Whatever dude. Look, we'll take you home. Mom can decide if she wants to see you. Just be warned. She is really sick, and can't handle too much activity. She gets tired easily and might be sleeping."

With that said Michael turned and began leading the way to the Sullivan House. Travis quickly fell in line next to his brother. Oliver looked at Jace, and Jace gave a shrug to as if to say 'try living with 'em.'

The four walked in silence for another block, before coming to a stop in front of a modest two story house. Oliver followed behind as the boys walked up the stairs and let themselves into the house.

"I'm gonna go hide Mom's present," Jace said as he took off up the stairs loudly with all the grace of an eight year old boy to what Oliver assumed was his room.

"Go ahead and take him to see Mom," Michael said as he headed towards the kitchen. "I'm going to grab us a snack."

"Mom's been staying in the room downstairs." Travis said leading him through the living room. "It takes too much out of her to go up and down the stairs. She doesn't like to admit it, but she's having a hard time even doing the basic everyday things. She tries to hide it, but we know," he replied sadly.

They reached a door that was opened a crack. Travis peered in, and then opened the door. Oliver could see Chloe propped up in bed, her laptop opened on her lap with various papers around her.

Chloe looked up from her work seeing Travis. She gave him a warm smile pushing her work aside. "Hey sweetie, your home later then usual, I thought you boys would have been home an hour ago."

Travis made his way over to the bed and leaned down giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey Mom! How are you feeling?" He sat down on the edge of the bed. "We would have been home earlier, but Jace ran into an old friend of yours. He wanted to come see you, so I hope you don't mind."

With that as an introduction, Oliver stepped fully into the room. He watched surprise flicker across her face.

"Oliver, what in the world are you doing here?"

****

Well that's it for chapter 2. Sorry it took longer then expected, I'm visiting a friend and got stuck in airports all day on delays one day, and then the rest have been filled with visiting people everywhere.

Next chapter will be the one to finally answer everyone's questions and after that the pace of the story should pick up. Please Review and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

-Jimmy and Chloe never got engaged, and Chloe still works at the Daily Planet!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- Once again, big Thanks to those who are reading My story, and a HUGE thanks for everyone who has reviewed. Thanks for all the support.

Well, here's the chapter where we find out what's up with Chloe, and where did the kids come from. Enjoy!!

Chapter 3

Before Oliver could answer Chloe's question, an eight year old blond blur shot past him launching onto the bed. Oliver cringed for a second expecting the blur to next launch itself into the fragile looking Chloe. But Chloe was obviously prepared for this, because she just pushed her work further to the side, as the said blur cautiously crawled next to her. He very carefully hugged his mother, burrowing his face into her neck wanting to convey to her how much he missed her during his time away at school.

Watching the boy's careful actions as he hugged his mother, Oliver realized that this was something that had to have happened before. Along the way, this young boy had learned that he needed to treat his mother like a fine porcelain doll, because she was already breaking.

Chloe managed to scoot a little further down, and wrapped an arm around each of her boys holding them close to her.

"How was school today guys?"

Oliver watched in fascination as Chloe talked with the boys about their day. It was such a picture perfect moment; he almost forgot how serious the situation was.

It also was a little shocking to see Chloe acting so, well act so much like a mother.

She listened attentively to everything the boys said, brushing hair from their foreheads and giving little mothering pats here and there.

Oliver couldn't help remember a similar scene from when he was eight, and he would come home from school and sit with his mother and tell her all about what happened that day. She would listen to everything he said, as if he was telling her the secrets of the universe.

He wasn't much older then Jace when his parents were killed. Not long after he was sent to boarding school and he no longer had anyone who made him feel like what he said really was important.

Except for that short time with Chloe that is.

"Snacks ready!" Michael exclaimed walking into the room, a snack tray in hand. He set it on the bed, giving Chloe a kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling Mom?" Michael asked concerned.

Chloe reached up and pat his cheek lovingly. "I'm fine sweetheart. How was your day? Did you pass your exams?"

"Of course," Michael said with a nonchalant shrug. "Now I don't have to worry about school until next year," he said grinning.

This set Travis and Jace into a rounding chorus of 'No more Teachers No more books.'

Chloe just laughed shaking her head. "Ok ok, how about you continue singing in the living room, and eat your snacks out there." She looked up at Oliver. "Oliver and I have some catching up to do."

There was a half hearted groan, but the Sullivan boys removed themselves from the bed.

"First one to the living room gets the clicker!" Jace yelled as he took off out of the room.

"Hey no fair, you cheated," Travis yelled chasing after him.

"Kids these days, no control," Michael said shaking his head.

Chloe gave him a look and smiled, "You hid the remote already didn't you."

"Of course, they are so predictable. Guess that makes me in charge of the T.V. It's hard being so superior compared to the other natives. Mwah ha ha," Michael said laughing menacing as he walked out.

Chloe sighed, and Oliver noticed that as the boys left she seemed to deflate into the pillows. She was obviously acting stronger putting on a front for them.

She finally looked up at Oliver.

"Oliver, it's good seeing you," she smiled motioning him to come closer.

Oliver stepped further into the room standing about a foot away from the bed. He shot her his trademark Queen Smile. "Hey Chlo, looking beautiful as always."

"Now that's a lie. I look like I'm on my death bed, literally."

The sad fact is that she did. She was never tan to begin with, but now her complexion was a pasty pale. Chloe had lost weight recently which was illustrated by the hollowness of her cheeks, and the way her eyes seemed larger then he remembered. Her hair always had a healthy glow to it, but now hung listlessly around her face. He often forgot how tiny she was because she always was so full of life that she seemed capable of taking on anything. Now he suspected a strong wind could blow her over.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep some of the emotion he could feel over taking him out of it, "So it's true. You're dying."

She nodded her head sadly. "Yep, it's true. We aren't sure completely, but we are thinking maybe a week, give or take a few days. I've been hiding the worst of it from the boys, but to be honest, I just don't have much of a fight left in me."

She waved her hand at him trying to shake off the depressed mood that was circling them. "Forget about that for now, pull up that chair behind you and come over here. My neck is getting sore staring up at you. Now what I want to know is what brought you here."

Oliver carried the chair next to her bed, sitting down within reaching distance. He remembered that she wasn't suppose to know about the whole Jace getting off the bus at the wrong stop to go shopping thing, so did what he did best. Told enough of the truth and that's it. "Well, interestingly enough, I ran into this boy, and he tells me his name is Jace Sullivan. I asked if you were his mother, and surprisingly he said yes, which I'm sure you can imagine through me for a loop. I am looking forward to that story by the way," he said nudging her hand lightly.

"Anyway, I offered to walk him home so I could see you, and on the way we ran into Travis and Michael about a block from here, and that's it."

"Uh huh. That is interesting. But it's been five years. Why now?"

Oliver felt irritation rise up in him. How could she ask him that? He might have been a jerk who just took off, but she had to know that he cared about her enough to want to see her when he learned she was dying.

"Why do you think? God Chloe, I know I've been out of touch, but why didn't you tell me. You could have found a way to let me know, hell Superman could have been your errand boy. I would have been here for you, on the first plane out the moment I heard."

Chloe felt that same irritation overtake her. How could he be upset when he left her, not the other way around.

"Maybe I didn't tell you for a reason."

"Yea and what's that reason? And while your explaining that, maybe you can explain how 5 years ago you were a party of one, and now your on your way to forming your own bowling team."

"The reason I never told you, about my condition or the boys, is because both involve the life you left. The life you wanted nothing to do with any longer." Her voice became soft, barely above a whisper. "If I tried to contact you, you would have been sucked back into this life, and that wasn't fair. The hero life should be something you choose, not something that is forced on you. The rest of us, Me, Clark, Victor, A.C. and Bart, we didn't have a choice. Our lives stopped being normal the minute we discovered we were of the power persuasion. You made the choice to fight, and then the choice to not. No one faults you for it; in fact most of us envy you."

"Do you know I always envied the others? Each of them had these gifts. These abilities to do these amazing things. Things that made them heroes. But me, all I have is a knack for firing arrows."

"Ollie, if you measure being a hero on what abilities he or she possess, then you never knew what a hero was. Powers and abilities do not make a person a hero. It's what a person does that makes them a hero. You wanted to help others, and didn't let the fact that you had no powers stop you. You saw evil in the world, and wanted to put a stop to it. Not everyone would have worked so hard to organize a group to take down the unjust and help those who couldn't help themselves. Don't tell Clark, but to me, you were the biggest hero I knew. You truly gave me hope because under it all you were just a normal guy who wanted to make a difference and you did. Never forget that."

Oliver looked down at his hands clasped in his lap. He didn't know what to say.

"You know, one of the things I regretted most when I chose to leave the hero life was not seeing you. I never said, but you were one of the best friends I ever had."

"Well, then why did you end contact? I wasn't friends with just Green Arrow; I was also friends with Oliver Queen."

"Because of who you are. I knew the minute we talked, I could have never left that life behind. And I was scared that if I continued being Green Arrow with those dark thoughts in my head, I would cross that line. The fine line that Heroes dance on that separates us from vigilante and even villain."

"I never would have forced you into being someone you didn't want to be."

"I know you wouldn't have intentionally. But I don't think you have an evil bone in your body, and your need to help others tends to rub off. Look at Clark. Sure he seems to have shaped up, but how often did you have to guide him to help people. Just standing in your presence always made me want to be a better hero."

"Oliver, just because you no longer don a mask and prance around with your bow and arrow, doesn't make you any less of a hero. I have followed your life some in the magazines and you donate so much money and fund so many fundraisers. You are a hero to so many people."

"But maybe I lost the opportunity of being a hero to those who really matter." He reached his hand out and took hers. He lightly ran his thumb back and forth on her hand. "So I'm here now. Tell me everything."

She leaned back comfortably into the pillows squeezing his hand back "Ok."

"A few months after you left, I came across some information about a new 33.1 lab. I wasn't able to find out what it was they were testing there, but from what I could tell it was bad. So I decided to check it out."

"_You _decided to check it out."

"Well someone had to. Just because you hung up your green leathers, doesn't mean Lex decided to turn his attention to hair growth for men. The labs were still out there, and I didn't have a team of superheroes at my beck en call. I would have asked Clark, but he had just left for his training."

"So you went by yourself."

"Yes I think we established it. Moving on. So anyway, I waited until Lex left the country, and broke in. The plan was just to gather as much information as possible so I could shut it down with evidence. I never expected what I found."

Chloe stopped for a second remembering her discovery as if it were yesterday.

"Lex was experimenting on children. But not just any children. Offspring of meteor infected. These children were orphans and had no legal guardians to even notice they were gone. He wanted to know if the meteor infection could be passed down or if you had to have actual exposure to a meteor rock. Luckily I got there before he had a chance to get very far."

"These children, were they Jace, Michael and Travis."

Chloe shook her head. "Yep, at the time Jace was three, Travis was 6, and Michael was 8. From the records I was able to obtain, Jace's parents were both infected, and died in a mysterious car accident, no other known relatives. Travis's mother was meteor infected, with no father listed. She died as a result of her infection. Michael's father was the one infected, his mother dying when he was young. His father was an alcoholic and abused Michael. A few months before hand, he was driving drunk and wrapped his car around a tree; thank God Michael wasn't with him. Out of the three of them, Michael is the most affected by the experience since he was older at the time. Both from his father and being held in the lab."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I obviously couldn't leave them, so I used some of the training I picked up from you. I set about getting them out, and gathering any incriminating evidence I could. I brought them home with me, and it was love at first sight. I couldn't remember life without those three. I was so scared of what would happen to them if I wasn't there. Next thing I knew I was having Mrs. Kent and some of my other connections helping me adopt them."

"It took sometime to settle in, especially for Michael and Travis since they were older, but eventually we fell into a rhythm. Sure we've had our ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade one moment with my boys. My biggest regret is that I'm going to leave them well before I'm ready. They've been through so much, I can't stand that I'm going to cause them any pain."

Oliver squeezed her hand reassuringly. "From what I can tell, you mean more to them then anyone in the world. I can see the love they have for you shining in their eyes. They understand more then you think, and I know that they won't regret knowing you, even if they will feel pain without you. I know that I never regretted knowing you for a second."

Chloe smiled at him. "Thanks Oliver. So I'm sure you want to know how I got sick."

When he didn't say anything, just continued to look at her sadly she continued.

"About six months ago, a source told me about a supposed cure Lex was developing for meteor infected. He's working on getting backing from the government to use it on anyone infected. The problem, it's not really a cure. It attacks the meteor infection, and whatever the infection is affiliated with. It leaves the organ, limb, or whatever the infection affects weak and useless. In one case there was a guy who was telekinetic. The infection was primarily in his brain. They administered the _cure, _and by the time the cure attacked the infection, the man was left as a vegetable, and eventually died.

Another case was a girl who had the power to shape shift. Then infection was in her bones, so that's where the _cure_ attacked. It left her bones so brittle, the slightest pressure broke them. She eventually died when she fell down a _two_ stairs and cracked her skull."

"So what does this have to do with you?"

"Well, you know I'm infected right?"

Oliver nodded.

"And my boys might be infected."

He nodded again.

"Well, I couldn't stand by and let that cure hit mass markets. Not when my boys are at risk. So I went to investigate. With enough proof I could have the whole project shut down. All that has been released so far are doctored results that don't reveal the whole truth. I couldn't ask Clark to go because the place was probably swarming with Kryptonite. So I went alone."

"Chloe!"

"I know I know! Probably the stupidest thing I have ever down. Trust me I have beaten myself up over and over again."

"So what happened?"

"The guards weren't armed with normal bullets. The bullets were laced with the _cure_. I was discovered, and on my way out I was hit by a bullet in the shoulder. The bullet itself caused very little damage. I called for Clark who swooped in and pulled me to safety. It wasn't until later when we were removing the bullet that we discovered that it had the _cure_ in it, and I was infected. My meteor power is that I am an empathic healer. I can heal others pain, by taking it on to myself. The infection is centered in my heart, so that's what the _cure_ attacked. My heart is slowly dying, and there's nothing I can do about it."

****

Well that's it for chapter 3. Hope I answered most of everyone's questions! Please review and tell me what you think. Now that the information is out of the way, look forward to some action coming your way. You didn't think Oliver was going to let Chloe die without a fight did you!

Everyone have a Happy New Year!!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

-Jimmy and Chloe never got engaged, and Chloe still works at the Daily Planet!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- As usual, I want to thank everyone who is reading and who has reviewed! That's the biggest reward an author can get!

Special thanks to Diana! Thanks for the support.

Chapter 4

Oliver lay in bed that night unable to sleep. Over and over he replayed Chloe's voice in his head. _'My heart is slowly dying, and there's nothing I can do about it.'_

Chloe was dying.

She had been for the last six months.

She more then likely wouldn't make it past Christmas.

And there was nothing that could be done about it.

Oliver sat up quickly. 'Like hell there was nothing he could do.'

He through his covers off and got out of bed and began pacing. He might have lost his chance to protect and save her in the past, but there had to be a reason that after 5 years he would accidently run into someone that brought her back into his life. Maybe this was the reason he came back to Metropolis. Fate had brought him here to save Chloe.

He sat back down in the bed and running his hands through his hair sitting there with his elbows propped on his knees.

Now if he only knew how to save her.

Oliver wished he could have stayed longer at the Sullivan's, but just after Chloe dropped the bomb on everything, he received a phone call from the office he had to take. After arguing with his advisor for a few minutes, he realized the situation needed him personally. He reluctantly bid Chloe and her boys goodbye promising to be back the next day.

He stayed late at the office dealing with problems that surfaced involving a merger with Wayne Enterprises, and then came back to the Watchtower. Even after Oliver 'hung up his green leathers' as Chloe put it, he was never able to sell the Watchtower, and so it remained vacant until he came back.

Rubbing his hands through his hair once more in frustration he stood up from the bed and headed into the living room. His attempt to get some sleep was proving pointless, so he might as well try to accomplish something.

Sitting down at his computer he turned it on. While he waited for it to boot up completely, he reviewed in his head what he knew about Chloe's situation. She hadn't admitted it, but he was pretty sure that she had little medical help since she discovered what was wrong with her. Given her situation, her condition could have been made worse if the wrong people got a hold of her. People like Lex who would rather experiment on her instead of save her.

Another concern he had was that she seemed to be lacking in the medical equipment field. As far progressed her condition seemed to be, a heart monitor seemed essential, and a few other supplies were bound to make things easier for her.

If he could do nothing else for Chloe, he could at least help provide her with all necessary equipment and supplies to make her as comfortable as possible.

He checked the time. 3 am. Way too early to call anyone about outfitting Chloe's room with the best medical equipment money could buy. He should at least wait until 7am, right? Right.

He turned to his computer. Chloe said that she had been investigating a 33.1 lab that housed the cure when she was hit by it. If Lex's stooges had designed this supposed _cure,_ there had to be an un_cure_. No way would Lex not provide a way to completely control a situation by having the power to take away ones powers as well as give said powers.

Lex would use it in a way to convince the meteor infected to be injected and left weak with the possibility of death, or keep there powers and work for him doing his bidding.

If he was right in believing that there was a cure for the_ cure_, he needed to find it as soon as possible. Glancing at the calendar he saw it was the 19th. Only six more days left until Christmas, and one more day closer to Chloe's time being up.

As he clicked through various files saved on his computer, and tried his amateur hand at hacking a few databases, he realized he needed someone who was equipped for this kind of work. Someone who thought like a computer and could find the information he needed quickly.

He needed Cyborg.

*****

As the Sun began to rise bringing more light into the apartment, Oliver was already showered and dressed getting ready to head out.

His first stop was to the office. He planned to go in and take care of any business needing his attention as quickly as possible.

After he finished everything required from him, he placed a call to Bruce Wayne, putting a temporary hold on the merger until after the holidays. He then left his assistant in charge of the daily running of the business with a do not disturb order until the New Year.

Oliver was able to leave the office by noon, and headed directly to the airport where he had the Queen Jet prepped and waiting. If he was going to be able to do what was necessary, he was going to need some…special supplies.

A few hours later Oliver entered his large family mansion. He walked into what was once regarded as the family room and over to the grandfather clock positioned in the far corner. Turning the hands so that they read 10:15, he pushed in the face. The clock slid over revealing a hidden door that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. He slipped inside taking a complicated path through a maze of darkened hallways that eventually led him to another door made of a mix of titanium and other alloys, placing his hand on a keypad next to it. After a retina exam, he then spoke, "Queen, Oliver," and the large door slowly opened. He stepped inside closing the door.

The room itself seemed to give off a green glow, and he looked around at his custom made trick arrows and bows which were hung and displayed on two of the four walls. On the third wall was a large computer with various monitors and accessories that had made even Victor weep in envy the first time he had seen it. The computer held all the information that had been gathered during his time as Green Arrow and was protected by the strongest firewalls and specialized computer codes designed with the help of Cyborg and Chloe, making it virtually unhackable.

Finally his gaze fell on his Green Arrow costume. It hung in a glass case and looked like it was in pristine condition even after all this time. He opened the case and gently reached out and ran a hand over the leather material. The Green leather material.

What was it that Jace had said when he first met him buying the Green Christmas shoes? He wanted the shoes in Green because his mother's favorite color was green. She liked the color because it reminded her of hope.

Oliver couldn't help but wonder if Chloe liked the color green because it reminded her of him, and if by chance she considered him a symbol of hope. It was one of his intentions the first time he donned the Green outfit, to give hope to those who needed it.

Somewhere along the way he forgot his reasons for becoming the Green Arrow, and in doing that forgot what it was to have hope. He let the hate and betrayal that colored his past affect his judgment and by doing so let evil win by backing down from the good fight.

Maybe the same thing that brought him to Chloe again, was also giving him a renewed mission of giving Hope to the people who needed and telling him it was time to become the hero he always _Hoped_ to be.

Well, he could dwell on his personal demons later. Right now he needed to get back to Metropolis ASAP and begin figuring out a way to save the one person who never gave up on the world or any of its heroes.

Grabbing a large footlocker from the side he set about loading it up with everything he might need.

As he was closing the lid he couldn't help but think that by saving the reporter, he just might save himself.

*****

Oliver arrived back in Metropolis by 6:30 pm. After a quick phone call he determined that everything he ordered for Chloe would be arriving at her place by 8 that evening. That didn't give him much time to get there himself and prepare Chloe for the minor invasion. She never did like anyone stepping in when she didn't want them to, but he figured in this case she would be okay with it.

Plus he had a plan. He had arranged for pizza to be delivered at the Sullivan house. It should arrive about the same time as he got there. If he could warm the kids over, he was sure to get on her good side. With the boys help he was pretty sure he could get her to except everything he was willing to do for her. She had no desire to leave the boys alone, and if there was even a remote possibility of beating this illness, he knew she would be willing to try.

Oliver pulled up to the house the same time as the pizza delivery car did. He met up with the teenaged delivery kid at the door and took the pizzas. After tipping the kid, he rang the doorbell and waited.

He was expecting one of the three Sullivan boys to answer the door. Maybe even Chloe if she was feeling up to it. What he wasn't expecting was his ex-girlfriend Lois Lane to be on the other side, and judging by her shocked expression, he was probably the last person she expected to see when she opened the door, carrying pizza boxes of all things.

She stared out at him gapping like a cod fish for a minute. Finally she seemed to pull herself together and greeted him the traditional Lane way. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hey Lois, nice to see you too."

She stood looking out at him from the house through the screen door. She nodded at the pizza boxes in his hand. "Looks like you gave up on the courier service you seemed to enjoy when we first met. What, now you deliver pizza's."

A dawning expression came over her face. "Your not trying to win me over again are you, cause listen hear buddy, that boat has sailed, Elvis has left the building, the fat Lady has sung, the-"

"LOIS! Chill out for a moment. I didn't even know you were here. I came to see Chloe and the boys. Even brought pizza, see," he said holding the boxes up as proof.

Lois continued standing there with her arms crossed over her chest not moving to open the screen door to let him in. She stared at him as if assessing his intentions of being there. Their staring match was broken by a voice coming towards the door.

"Hey Aunt Lois, whose at the door." The voice moved to stand beside Lois reveling Jace. His face broke out into a smile when he saw Oliver standing there, and got even bigger when he noticed what he was carrying.

"Pizza!" His yell attracted the other boys who quickly bounded over to the open door.

"Did you say Pizza? Alright!" Travis said reaching around Lois to open the screen door grabbing the pizza from Oliver. "Thanks Mr. Q."

"Yeah Mr. Queen thanks for the pizza."

"No problem Michael," Oliver said as he stepped in giving Michael a pat on the shoulder.

He watched as the three boys took off to the kitchen where they began digging into the pizza boxes like starving animals.

"When's the last time they ate," he asked in disbelief.

"Don't let them fool you. They ate a few hours ago, but Chloe tries to feed them fairly healthy, so pizza tends to be a reward and for special occasions. If you are trying to get them to like you, congratulations," she said warily.

Oliver didn't see any reason to let Lois know she wasn't that far from the truth. He shrugged his shoulders trying to look nonchalant, "I just thought that perhaps they would be hungry and figured everyone enjoys pizza."

Before Lois could say anything else, a familiar voice called from down the hall, "Lois, who's at the door?"

Lois smirked at Oliver, "Just the pizza delivery guy."

Clark was walking down the hall closer, "But we didn't order any- Oliver! What are you doing here?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. That greeting was getting a little tired. "I just came to visit Chloe and the Boys."

"She's really not up for any visitors. She's been sick and stuff…," Clark finished lamely.

"Clark its ok, he was over yesterday and I told him everything. He knows."

The three turned to see Chloe standing just behind them using the wall to keep her up. Her face seemed even paler then yesterday, and now that he saw her standing, her weight loss was even more pronounced. She was dressed in nothing more then a pair of pajamas and a flimsy robe. He could see her shivering from where he was standing.

Lois stepped towards her, "Come on Cuz' you really shouldn't be up. You need to rest," she said in the tenderest voice Oliver had ever heard her use.

"I'm fine Lois, I can't stay cooped up in my room all the time. If I'm going to die then I want to at least live a little more before I do." She moved to step forward, but lost her footing and began to fall. All three moved forward to catch her, but Oliver got to her first.

Smugly a voice in his head said 'Ha beat that boyscout.'

He wrapped his arms around her frail form helping her stand. "Do you want me to help you back to your room?"

Chloe looked up at him and Oliver found himself getting lost in her large green eyes. She shook her head, "I really don't want to go back to my room right now. Would you mind helping me to the couch in the living room? I'd like to sit out there with the boys."

"As you wish Watchtower," Oliver said with a smile. He carefully placed an arm under her legs and scoped her up in his arms. "How about a free ride?"

"That would be great," she said wrapping her arms around him, laying her head on his chest as if the effort to keep it up was getting to be too much.

"This is better anyway," he said walking her into the living room. "I have some stuff being delivered and now you won't be disturbed while they unload everything."

"Stuff, what stuff," Lois piped in from the background.

"Just some medical equipment and supplies." He chuckled at the frown on Chloe's face. "It's not a big deal, and it will help monitor you and make you more comfortable. He deposited Chloe on the couch and grabbed the blanket Clark was holding and tucked it around her carefully.

Just then the doorbell rang. Clark moved to go open the door. Oliver looked down at his watch. "Well its only 7:30, too early for the delivery I scheduled, it must be your _surprise._"

"Surprise, what surprise."

"Hey Watchtower, how's that new computer upgrade treating you."

Chloe looked up in astonishment, "_Victor_?"

*****

Well there's chapter 4! Hope everyone liked it. Please Review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

-Jimmy and Chloe never got engaged, and Chloe still works at the Daily Planet!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- Big Thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and extra thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review!

Chapter 5

"Victor! What are you doing here? Last e-mail said you were somewhere over in Asia checking out some new technological gadgets and stuff," Chloe exclaimed sitting up slightly.

"Well, my Boy here," he said giving Oliver a non-to-gentle slap on the back, "gave me a call. Said my _services_ were needed on the home front. So here I am." Victor stepped closer to Chloe and kneeled down beside her taking her hand and giving her a big smile. "Plus I'd never miss the chance to see my cyber-sister."

Before Chloe had a chance to comment, the doorbell rang again.

"I got it!" Jace yelled through a mouth full of pizza as he jumped up from the table and ran for the door. He swung the door open and then promptly stepped back. He called towards the adults, "There's a bunch of strange people at the door. They are wearing lab coats and some are unloading a really big white van."

With a smile Oliver clapped his hands. "Ah, that would be the delivery I scheduled." He walked over to Jace placing a hand on his shoulder as he opened the screen door for the lab technicians and delivery men. Oliver turned towards Chloe. "Do you mind if I have them set up in your room."

"Are you actually giving me a choice in the matter," she said with a bite Oliver was worried he wouldn't ever hear again. A part of him was relieved. A Chloe with snark, was a Chloe that was still alive and kicking.

"Well, it's up to you where they set up. If you prefer I could have them set you up on the porch, but then your neighbors will see you in your nightgown," he replied shrugging his shoulders in an innocent manner.

She narrowed her eyes at his antics then turned her nose up at him. "Go ahead and do what you planned, but know this. I might be sick, but I haven't become some invalid that needs to be spoon fed. I can take care of myself, and have done a perfectly good job of that without you or anyone else for the last five years thank you very much."

Chloe glanced over at Jace who still stood next to Oliver, then over to Travis and Michael seated at the table watching the scene, pizza all but forgotten. There was no disguising the matching looks of worry she saw in their eyes. As hard as it might be to accept help, for her boys she was going to have to put her life her friend's hands.

Chloe sat back a little as some of the fight left her. With a sigh she continued, "Even though I don't _need_ your assistance, it is appreciated, so thank you. And yes, you can have them set up everything they need to in my room." she finished with a smile.

Oliver smiled back.

Chloe turned towards Lois. "Hey Lois, why don't you take the boys for ice cream," she said smiling at the three.

"Ice cream! Please Aunt Lois, will you take us," Jace said running over to Lois wrapping his arms around her in his enthusiasm.

"Yeah Aunt Lois, ice cream sounds awesome!" Travis agreed jumping up and down.

"Plus we _love_ spending time with our favorite Aunt," Michael added with a knowing look on his face.

Lois always considered herself exceptionally tough and strong willed. But when it came to her nephew's she was nothing more then a big giant marshmallow. And her three darling nephews' knew it.

"Well I know when I've been outnumbered." She picked up her jacket and purse and turned to Chloe. "We'll be back in about an hour Cuz. Boys go grab your stuff. Come on Smallville, you get to treat."

"How come I have to treat? You're their Aunt, plus how come whenever you take them anywhere, I end up paying for everyone."

"Yeah well you're their Uncle. And if you treat now, maybe I'll treat you…later," Lois said with a knowing smirk and a wink.

Clark gulped at the obvious meaning behind her words. "Right, got it. Ice cream all around. Hey Chlo' did you want anything while we're out."

"No thanks I'm fine. You guys have fun, and behave!"

"Don't worry Cuz, me and Clark will keep the boys in line."

"I wasn't talking to the boys," Chloe said lifting an eyebrow with a slight smirk.

"What! Chloe, when have I not behaved in public?"

"How about that time you and Uncle Clark got caught making out in the ball pit at McDonalds," Michael said as he came down the stairs with his coat.

"That was one time-"

"Or the time you two got us kicked out of the movies for inappropriate conduct," Travis added coming down behind his brother.

"We weren't doing anything _that_ bad-"

"My favorite was when we got kicked out of Wal-mart," Jace piped up from the top of the stairs where he was hopping into his other shoe. "We got escorted out by security and _everything._"

"Hold on," Oliver butted in, "How in the world did you get kicked out of Wal-mart."

"Go ahead Lois, tell everyone how that happened," Chloe said crossing her arms.

"FINE! Me and Clark, _might _have been playing dodgeball, and we _might_ have accidently knocked over a little old lady and a display of TV's-"

"Don't forget the part where you hit the security guard in the face with the your elbow."

"Thank you Jace, I sure would hate to leave anything out," Lois said sarcastically.

"Anytime Aunty Lois."

"Ooo, remember the time-" Lois cut Travis off before he could go any further putting a hand over his mouth.

"Well, now wasn't that a fun trip down memory lane. Come on kids; say bye to your mother and let's go before they run out of ice cream." With that Lois all but pushed the Sullivan boys out the door as the yelled goodbye to Chloe. She followed behind them grabbing Clark by the arm on the way out.

"Geez Smallville, a little back up next time wouldn't kill you."

"I thought you were doing pretty well on your own."

"Well, maybe you will do well on your own too, like tonight for instance…"

The rest of the conversation was cut short as the pair disappeared through the door.

With their departure, all that was left was Oliver, Chloe, Victor, and a handful of lab techs sent over to deliver and set up the equipment.

Oliver greeted them and after conversing with them for a few minutes, pointed them towards Chloe's room.

As the room fell quiet again, Oliver pursed his lips as if contemplating something. Finally he let out a short bark of laughter. "So, Lois and Clark huh. Making out in a ball pit of all things. Gotta say I didn't see that one coming. I'm assuming he's who the boys were talking about when they said she was taken."

"Are you ok with that? I mean I know it's been more then a few years, but you and Lois were quite close. I'd hate for things to be awkward between you guys," Chloe said slightly concerned.

"What Lois and I had was a long time ago. We both moved on. Looks to me like she's found a hero she could stand by."

Before anything else could be said Oliver's phone rang. He glanced at the screen for a second. "I'm sorry I've got to take this. Why don't I give you two sometime to catch up? I'll be outside if you need me." With a small smile he stepped outside leaving Chloe and Victor alone.

With the commotion finally down, Chloe once again leaned back in to her pillows. She loved her family more then anything, but it sure took a lot of energy to keep up with them. Energy she no longer had.

"Sorry about the mini circus. With three boys and Lois things are rarely quiet around here."

"No problem. Kind of reminded me of old times."

Chloe smiled at Victor. "It really is good to see you Victor, especially given the circumstances. I know how hard it was for you guys when Oliver broke up the team. I'm sure it wasn't easy to drop everything just because your old boss gave you a call."

"I admit, given the circumstances I was tempted to tell him to shove an arrow 'where the sun don't shine'. Identity crisis aside he kind of left our group high and dry. It was hard having a purpose for our powers and group of people we could relate to one minute, then having it all gone the next. He didn't completely abandon us though. We were compensated for our 'work'," he said using finger quotations.

"Well, as long as you're not bitter or anything."

"I'm really not. As sappy as it sounds, I guess my feelings were hurt more then anything else. The league was in a way a family. For some of us, it was all we really had left. It's not easy to be abandoned by family."

"Trust me I know."

"Anyway, I understand why Oliver made his decision. The hero business isn't easy. It's not for everyone."

"I think Oliver still has what it takes to be a hero." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "He just needs to find that part of himself again. He needs to find a reason to fight for."

Victor reached for her hand giving it a squeeze. "I think he might have found that reason."

Chloe blushed self-consciously. She shook her head shaking off the implication. "So what made you decide to come here anyway."

"Are you kidding, the minute Oliver mentioned you were in trouble I was on the first plane out here."

"You didn't need to drop everything for me," she said softly with a gentle smile.

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I can't think of any place or anything I would rather be doing then being here for you when you need me. Like I said, league or no league, we are family. Plus I was a little young for retirement anyway. It's about time I got a chance to do what I so best."

"Oh, and what's that."

"Saving the world."

"As flattering as that sounds, I don't think saving my life is on the same lines as saving the world."

"I don't know." He nodded to Oliver who had just walked back into the house. When Oliver looked over at Chloe his whole face lit up in a smile. "Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'To the World you might one person, but to one person you might be the World."

*****

Well that's it for that chapter. Hope everyone liked it. Please Review and let me know what you think. I'd love to know what I am doing well or what I can improve on. Thanks for reading!!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

-Jimmy and Chloe never got engaged, and Chloe still works at the Daily Planet!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- Big Thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and extra thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review!

"To the World You Might Be One Person, But to One Person You Might Be the World."

Chapter 6

Oliver stood just outside the living room watching Chloe and Victor while they talked. He was tempted to join them, but thought it best to give them time to catch up. The kids were still off getting ice cream with Lois and Clark and the lab techs were finishing up installing the equipment he ordered for Chloe.

He was anxious to finally sit down with everyone and come up with a course of action. And when he said everyone, he meant everyone. He sent the message out, and was waiting to hear back from the last two members of the league. Oliver hoped that they would get the messages in time, and be willing to help. He also hoped their feelings for him wouldn't overshadow their love and respect for Chloe. Regardless of what happened in the past, he was confident that his boys would come through and be the true heroes they were.

Oliver smiled inwardly. His boys. It had been a long time since he considered them that way. He never said it verbally, but he always felt responsible for them. He found each of them, and helped give them a positive purpose for their powers. They would sometimes joke around and call him dad, and at times he felt he was. He tried to be there for them when they needed advice, provided financial assistance, and even was there to break up the constant bickering. When Chloe took on a more active role in the league she was often treated like the mom of the group. She was the Wendy to his lost boys.

But he lost the honor of referring to them as 'his'. He threw away a precious gift. A gift he hadn't realized he had until Chloe came back into his life. Oliver was so distraught over the truth of the deaths of his parents he was blinded to the family he had somehow become a part of. And that's what they had been, one big happy unconventional family.

"Mr. Queen?"

Oliver turned towards a meek young geeky looking guy. "Yes."

"Umm, we finished unloading and installing everything. Is there uh anything else sir."

"No that's all." He reached for his wallet and extracted a few hundreds. "Here's something for your work. My assistant will be in touch to settle the rest of the bill." After seeing the rest of the techs out, he headed back into the living room. Chloe was laughing at something Victor was telling her. He couldn't help wish it was him that was making her laugh that way. He cleared his throat drawing their attention.

"Everyone's left and the boy's aren't back yet. Did you want to go over what we know so far?"

"Sure, Oliver if you wouldn't mind could you grab my laptop from my room. Also there are a few folders that should be under it. I laid them on the dresser before I came out earlier."

"Sure no problem. Be right back."

While Oliver went to Chloe's room Victor pulled out his laptop and connected to it.

"After Oliver called me I went ahead and hacked into some of Lexcorp's files dealing with his 33.1 labs. I downloaded any files from the last year, and anything that mentioned a cure of any kind. I can connect with your computer and cross reference whatever we have and hopefully narrow down any possible leads. If there is anything out there that will help you, we will find it."

"I know you guys will do your best."

"We won't just do our best. We will succeed," Oliver said as he walked back in with the computer. He handed it off to Victor who immediately connected with it and began typing frantically on each computer. The three sat in relative silence with only the rhythmic sound of keys being typed filling the air. After about 10 minutes Victor disconnected. "I think I may have found a few possible leads, but I'll have to check them a little more thoroughly. It may take a little while so if it's alright with you guys I'm going to head out of here and get to work. As soon as I know something I'll let you know."

"That's fine. We can't do anything about it tonight anyway. Do you have a place to stay because I can set something up for you if you'd like."

Victor stared at Oliver for a few seconds as if contemplating what to say. Finally he shook his head no. "Thanks but no thanks. I can handle it on my own." He turned away from Oliver missing the slight hurt expression on his face although Chloe didn't. Victor bent down and gave Chloe a brotherly kiss on the forehead. "I promise to take care of your baby while I have it," he said with a smile.

"You better; you know I don't play when it comes to Nellie there."

"Trust me I know. I'll see you tomorrow." He gave Oliver a quick wave then headed out the door.

Oliver sat down next to Chloe. "It looks like you and Victor had a good time catching up."

"We did. We try to e-mail and stuff as much as possible but nothing beats getting to talk face to face. Since the league broke up we haven't really had a reason to see each other. Maybe we should have put forth a little more effort though. I really missed talking to him like we use to. I've missed talking with all you guys."

Oliver reached for Chloe's hand. It was small and pale and delicate. Just like she was.

"Chloe I-"

"Mom! Mom!" Guess what!"

The Door swung open and Jace came running in with a half melting ice cream cone in one hand and a ring of chocolate ice cream around his mouth. Oliver immediately dropped Chloe's hand the minute he saw Jace then placed his hands in his lap. Jace mean while wedged himself between Chloe and Oliver taking a seat on the edge of the couch. Not pausing for Chloe to make a guess Jace enthusiastically continued with his story.

"Aunt Lois got kicked out of the ice cream shoppe and told she can't come back."

"She did What!?"

Travis appeared in the door way. "Hey! I was gonna tell her."

"I didn't tell her _why _Aunt Lois got kicked out."

"But you told her the best part."

"No way, the best part was when Aunt Lois took her ice cream and-"

"Dude, I'm telling her."

"How come you get to tell her?

"Cause I'm, older that's why."

"That's so not fair. I hate being younger."

"Hey Mom, did you hear that Aunt Lois shoved her ice cream cone in Cat Grant's face," Michael broke in smiling from behind Travis. His brother's turned to glare at him. He shrugged his shoulders innocently. "What you guys weren't telling her."

Chloe dropped her face into her hands. Ever since Cat set her sights on Clark it had been World War 3 at the Planet between Lois and Cat. Usually confrontations between the two female reporters didn't escalade beyond veiled backhanded insults, but lately things had gotten more intense since Lois and Clark went public with their relationship. Chloe personally had no problem with Cat, and to be honest she thought Cat's actions had less to do with trying to snag Clark and more to do with pushing Lois's buttons. 'Which apparently she succeeded with today,' Chloe thought wearily.

"Oh please tell me an ice cream cone to the face was the worst of it."

"Nope."

"Well start from the beginning."

Michael grabbed a chair from the dining room and flipped it around taking a seat.

"OK, so Aunt Lois wanted to try that new ice cream shoppe downtown across from the Planet. So we get there and order our ice cream. Just as we get ready to sit down, in walks Cat Grant. Aunt Lois was off to the side getting napkins and Cat didn't see her, but she did see Uncle Clark. She walks right up to him and starts flirting. Aunt Lois noticed but I could tell she was trying to keep her cool."

"Then the Cat Woman stuck her finger in Uncle Clark's ice cream! It was gross."

Chloe looked down a Jace. "Excuse me?"

"Jace don't interrupt. Anyway, Cat dips her finger in Uncle Clark's ice cream and licks it off real slow. I didn't hear what she said after that, but Uncle Clark blushed real red, and Aunt Lois got pissed."

"Michael, please don't say pissed."

"Right, sorry Mom."

"I think Aunt Lois was mad someone else was taking Uncle Clark's ice cream. On the way over she told Uncle Clark that if he was good she wanted to make him a sundae later on tonight."

"Jace!"

"What! That's what she said. She said she had whip cream and cherries at the apartment."

Oliver tried valiantly not to chuckle at that.

Michael cleared his throat. "Right, now back to the story. So Aunt Lois stomps over and bats Cat's hand away. Cat just smirked at her and said some…stuff," Michael cut off glancing over at Jace and Travis who was now perched on the arm of the couch.

"Mom, what does slummin' mean."

"I'll tell you later honey," Chloe said patting Jace on the cheek.

"After that Aunt Lois said some…stuff."

"Hey Mom doesn't Ms. Grant work at the Planet with you?" Travis asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Aunt Lois asked her if she was late to work her street corner. Do you think she has another job?"

"I'm sure your Aunt was just kidding. Back to the ice cream incident." Chloe was going to have to have a talk with her cousin about what should and should not be said in front of an 8 and 11 year old.

Michael looked thoughtful for a second. "I think after that is when Cat said that Aunt Lois was brave to be having ice cream especially with the size of her hips. That's when Aunt Lois let her have it," Michael finished with a smirk.

"It was awesome she smashed her ice cream right in the face. I think she even got some up her nose," Jace said gleefully.

"Cat grabbed some dude's ice cream and shoved it in Aunt Lois's face, and then Aunt Lois grabbed Uncle Clark's ice cream and shoved it down Cat's shirt. Uncle Clark had to grab Aunt Lois before she could do anything else and was holding her back while Cat stood there screeching. The manager ran out to see what the problem was and slipped on some melted ice cream. He reached out for something to steady him, but accidently grabbed Cat's shirt and ripped it open. She started to scream some more then ran out the door. Aunt Lois was laughing really hard, so hard that she fell down taking the manager with her just as he was standing up. Then the two of them started to argue. The manager told her to get out and not to come back."

"Yep, poor Uncle Clark was sooooo embarrassed. He kept saying sorry over and over as he tried to pull her out even as Aunt Lois threatened the manager. It was so funny!" Travis added laughing.

"It wasn't all that funny," Lois called from the doorway. Chloe could see the remnants of dried ice cream in her hair.

"Lois, I thought I told you to stay out of trouble."

"It wasn't my fault it was that Bi-"

"Lois!" Clark, Chloe and Oliver all yelled as Chloe covered Jace's ears.

"Sorry! But it's true. Look, I promise next ice cream trip with the boys there won't be any ice cream face smashing."

"Aww Man!

"That was the best part."

"Can I smash my ice cream in someone's face?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well you guys have had enough excitement for one day. It's getting late, why don't you go up and get ready for bed. You can stay up a little later, but I want you dressed for bed with teeth brushed in 20 minutes. Come down and say goodnight when you are done. Say bye to your Uncle and Aunt and thank them for taking you all for ice cream…and a show."

With that the Sullivan boys got up with half-hearted grumbling and after saying bye to their favorite Aunt and Uncle they ran up the stairs.

"Just couldn't stay out of trouble, could you Lane."

"I said I was sorry. She got what was coming to her."

Clark shook his head helplessly. "I'm going to get her home. I think the ice cream is starting to harden to her hair," he said reaching over to poke a large glob on her head. Lois smacked his hand away as he laughed.

He turned back to Chloe and Oliver. "I've already talked to Perry and we are taking the next couple of days off. Give us a call tomorrow when you guys find something and let us know what is going on."

Oliver nodded his head, "Victor should have something soon."

"Great. We will see you tomorrow then."

Lois went over to Chloe giving her a hug. "Bye Cuz, call me if you need anything," she said with a pointed look at Oliver.

She stood up and punch Oliver none too lightly in the shoulder, "Queen" she said in parting. Clark stepped in after Lois giving Chloe a quick peck on the cheek and with one more wave the two left for the night.

Oliver stood up after they left. "It's getting late, want me to help you to bed."

"Sure, I should probably get some rest. Tomorrow looks like a long day." She began to rise when Oliver reached down and scooped her up in his arms.

"You've had a pretty long day too, why don't I carry you."

Chloe blushed slightly, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Alright. But only because I know it'll make you feel better."

Oliver carried her carefully to her room walking a little slower then necessary, but savoring the moment of having her in his arms. He laid her gently on her bed pulling the covers up and around her effectively tucking her in. Oliver kissed her lightly on the forehead before leaning back. "Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. And don't worry; I won't let anything happen to you."

As Oliver turned off the light Chloe snuggled a little more comfortably into her bed. For the first time since she realized she was sick she didn't allow herself to worry about her fate. She trusted in Oliver and believed that he would keep his word and in fact not let anything happen to her. For the first time in a long time Chloe allowed her self to hope a little for the future and fell asleep with a slight smile on her face while visions of green filled her dreams.

*****

That's it for Chapter 6. Thanks to everyone for reading so far. Please review and let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

-Jimmy and Chloe never got engaged, and Chloe still works at the Daily Planet!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- Big Thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and extra thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review!

Chapter 7

'_Gooooooooood Morning Me-trop-olisssss!! Here's your wake up for this jolly December 20__th__ morning! Skies are bright with only a slight chill in the air. No sign of snow, and if this weather keeps up all of those wishing for a white Christmas will be in for a disappointment. But don't let that get in the way of your Holiday spirit! It's a fine day for hitting the malls. Remember, there are only 4 more shopping days until Christmas! To help everyone get in the mood, here's a holiday favorite, 'It's Beginning to look a lot like Chr-'_

WHACK!! Oliver's hand shot out from under the covers effectively silencing the annoying alarm clock. He blurrily looked at the illuminated numbers trying to gage the time. 'Could it already be 8 o'clock,' he thought lying back down bring his hands to his face trying to rub the sleep from his eyes with little success.

It had been another restless night. Oliver managed to get very little sleep, and instead tossed and turned all night. He was unable to shut his brain down replaying the events of the last few days, trying to come up with a solution.

This was quite possibly becoming one of the most important missions of his life, and he was at a standstill with no idea where to go from here. Until he heard back from Victor, or was able to get in touch with the others there was little he was able to do.

With a frustrated groan he got out of bed heading for the kitchen. On auto pilot he set about making coffee hoping it would wake him up.

A few minutes later, Oliver sat at his kitchen counter stirring his coffee starring at his cell phone willing it to ring. By now Victor should be almost done compiling the data, and hopefully the other members of his old team would be contacting him soon. It had already been 2 days since he sent out the alert, yet he had faith that regardless of their feeling towards him, he could count on the affection for their Watchtower and they would come through.

As he drained the rest of his coffee with one final gulp he gave up on waiting for the phone to ring. There might not be much he could do, but he was sure he could manage to come up with something productive.

With one more futile glance at the quiet phone, he headed for the shower. There was no reason that while he waited he couldn't go see go his favorite sidekick…

***

Oliver pulled up to the Sullivan house grabbing the large bag of bagels as he stepped out of the car. He was a boy once, and if he remembered correctly the quickest way to a growing boy's heart was through their stomachs. He wasn't sure why, but he had this large desire for the Sullivan boys to really like him.

He was halfway across the yard, when the bag of bagels seemingly disappeared into thin air. Oliver paused in confusion looking down at his now empty hands. A second later, one onion bagel materialized in his open hand, cream cheese in place, but with one very large bite taken out of it. He starred down at it incredulously, before a knowing smile appeared on his face.

Oliver looked up with a grin spotting Bart Allen leaning against the doorway with the ever present smirk present munching on his own bagel. Five years had done much for Bart, and he no longer looked like the boy Oliver remembered. But one look into his mischievous face, and Oliver felt confident that the boy he once knew was not far away.

"Morning boss man, thanks for breakfast."

"Impulse, glad to see you. Although I didn't buy that breakfast for you. If I knew you were hear I would have brought more. A lot more."

"Hey, I saved enough for the boys. Well, the mini Sullivan's at least. A.C. is just going to have to settle for cold cereal."

Oliver happily made his way up the porch. "A.C. is here too?"

"DUDE!! Where's my Bagel Bart. You better not have eaten it!"

"I see some things haven't changed," Oliver said chuckling.

"I wouldn't say that. This right here," Bart said gesturing to himself, "has only gotten hotter over time. I'm like a fine wine, aged to perfection. At least that's what I told Chloelicious."

"Really, and what did she say."

Bart wrinkled his nose. "That wine made her sleepy."

Oliver laughed.

"How have you been Impulse?"

"Can't complain. I've been travelling mostly, world at my finger tips and what not."

"Getting the full cultural experience, huh."

"You could say that," Bart said with a grin as he turned around entering the house.

Oliver followed Bart into the kitchen where Jace, Travis and Michael were happily munching on bagels, and A.C. was spooning in a mouth full of some kind of colorful concoction.

When A.C. saw Oliver, he nodded his head in greeting, "What's up man."

"A.C. glad to see you. Hey sorry about the bagels, if I knew you guys were here I would have brought more."

"It's all good. Watchtower has Lucky Charms, I love Lucky Charms. Haven't had them in years." He narrowed his eyes at Bart shoving in another mouthful. "Yuuuummmm there magically delicious."

"So when did you guys get in."

"After I got your message, I headed out to track down leprechaun boy here. He was throwing paint on fur wearers or something-"

"We were picketing against the recreational fishing convention that's held in Daytona-"

"Yeah, don't care. So anyway he was out of electronic range, which I figured, so I went and got him. Course, I would have been here like days ago, but didn't want to leave fish boy here floundering on his own."

"Hey!"

"Anyway, we caught a red eye out, and arrived into Metropolis at the butt crack of dawn. Didn't want to keep my favorite little nephews waiting so we honored them with a wake up call," Bart said rubbing Travis' head affectionately.

Travis batted his hand away. "Yeah, thanks for that Uncle Bart, nothing like getting waken up at six a.m. by a flying mad man."

"I do what I can."

Oliver took a step back from the group. He watched as they continued bantering back and forth, enjoying the carefree attitude that was exhibited. When was the last time he truly let go and relaxed like the boys in front of him? If he was truthful with himself, he could honestly say it was over five years ago, a few months before he hung up his hero title.

Oliver watched in amusement as Bart zipped over to A.C. sticking his finger into his cereal causing A.C. to cry out in outrage, and the Sullivan boy's to laugh in delight. As A.C. stood up an attempted to grab the illusive Bart, Oliver felt a presence at his side. He turned and saw Chloe standing in the doorway watching the interaction fondly with a whimsical smile on her face.

"Have you ever heard a more beautiful sound?"

Oliver looked at her in confusion. "Which one, the cry of outrage from a grown man who just had his milk fingered, or the taunting voice of a giant kid."

Chloe smiled again shaking her head. "The sound of children's laughter. There isn't a bigger reward then getting the chance to hear my boy's laughing. I pray that they will always have laughter in their hearts, even when I'm gone."

Oliver found himself unable to look away from Chloe. She seemed to have a little more color in her cheeks, and her smile seemed to light up her eyes. It was faint, but for a few moments Oliver felt like he was seeing a glimpse of the Chloe he once knew from a time of boyish dreams and optimistic outlooks of saving the world.

When A.C. finally got the best of Bart, soaking the floor causing Bart to skid into a wall, Chloe let out a tinkling laugh. Unable to stop himself, Oliver reached out to gently take Chloe's hand bring her attention to him. "Now that, is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard."

"Bart crashing into a wall?"

"No, the laughter of an angel."

Chloe ducked her head shyly. Before either of them could say anything else, they heard the front door open.

"Team Lois and Clark are here baring gifts. Whose up for donuts!"

"Oh me me!!" Bart yelled peeling himself from the wall darting over to grab the donut box from Lois's out stretched hand. Before she could even register the unexpected face, she felt a peck on her cheek, and a slight breeze as her burden was removed.

She turned back to Clark, "What was that?"

"Lois, you remember Bart."

"Right, pint sized speed demon with a bottomless pit of a stomach and more pick up lines then a frat house."

"Hey, trust me when I say I'm not pint sized in the areas that matter, if you get my drift," Bart said with an eyebrow wiggle.

"Dude," A.C. said smacking him on the back of his head. "Did you forget that her boyfriend can leap tall buildings in a single bound and break little pipsqueaks like you in half?"

"Dude, did you forget who _I _am. I am the fastest man alive." With that Bart sped to A.C. grabbing the donut he was about to eat, ignoring his irritated 'hey'. He then darted back to Lois propping an arm against her. "Are you sure you don't want to dump the flannel king and have a shot at the Bart Man." As Lois's face took on a pinched expression, and as began to Clark reach for him, Bart sped around the room to where Chloe and Oliver were standing.

"That's o.k., it wouldn't be true love for us anyway. I gave my heart away long ago." Bart elbowed Oliver out of the way taking both of Chloe's hands in his bringing them up for a kiss. "Just say the word Chloelicious and I'm yours."

Chloe laughed with delight while the others groaned. She leaned over giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh Bart, have I told you how much I missed you."

Oliver wrapped an arm around Bart's shoulders giving him a not so gentle squeeze, "I've missed you too Bart. You know, since you seemed to have polished off most of the breakfast, how about I give you some money and you can go grab some stuff for the others." Oliver reached into his wallet extracting a few hundreds handing them over to Bart.

Bart took them, and with a smile and a quick wave took off.

"So what are the chances he is going to be back anytime soon with food," A.C. asked grimly.

"Probably not great, you might want to have another bowl of cereal."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey Mom, is it still O.K. if me Travis and Jace go to Brendan's birthday party at the skating rink today."

"Oh course baby. I'm sure if you ask your Aunt Lois she will take you. Maybe she will even stay and show you guys a thing or two on the rink.

Lois looked sharply at Chloe smiling tightly. "Is that why you asked me to come over?" She walked closer towards Chloe and whispered just loud enough for Chloe, Oliver and probably Clark to hear, "are you serious, don't you remember what happened last time we went skating. I couldn't sit for a week."

Chloe smiled brightly, "Oh course I remember." Chloe sensing Lois's unwillingness carefully leaned against Oliver. She coughed pitifully into her hand and looked up at Lois with sad, tired eyes. "Well, if you really don't want to go, I guess I could take them," she said weakly adding a few more coughs.

Lois starred at her incredulously. "I can't believe you would pull out the guilt card," she said shaking her head knowing she was beat. "I've taught you well young Skywalker." She turned to the boys waving her hands in a shooing manner. "Alright boys, go grab your stuff. We have to swing by the mall first, I need some padding."

The boys grinned anticipating the fun they could have with their Aunt Lois and quickly ran up the stairs to grab their skates and coats.

"Are you coming Smallville?"

Clark looked at Chloe, and then at Oliver and A.C. "I think I'll stay here."

Lois nodded in understanding. "Alright, but have the ice ready for when I get home." She gave him a quick kiss, waved at Chloe, and shot Oliver a threatening look. "I'll be back later."

"Why do I feel like I need to start sleeping with one eye open?"

"Lois has that affect on people," Clark said as he sat down at the table grabbing the cereal box pouring him self a bowl.

Oliver noticed that Chloe hadn't stopped leaning on him and looked down at her in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Do you think you could help me to my room?"

"Of course," Oliver said as he bent down scooping her up again.

"Better watch it. A girl could get accustomed to this treatment."

"I'm counting on it."

Oliver carried her to her room laying her down gently bringing the covers up. He brought a hand up softly caressing her forehead. "You need to stop exerting yourself. There's no need to keep up the tough façade. We are here to help you."

Chloe reached up taking Oliver's hand. "I know, but I don't want the kids to see and worry. Plus, sometimes it's nice to pretend that it's not that bad. Like for a minute I almost believed I could be the one taking the boys ice skating. I love ice skating. My mom use to take me all the time when I was a kid, and once the boys became a part of my life I started to take them. Ice skating with my mom is a memory I held onto all these years, and a part of me hates that that's all the boys are going to have soon. I want so much to be able to go ice skating one more time, just to feel the connection between my Mom and my boys."

"You will Chloe, you will." He leaned over giving her a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Better watch it. A girl could get accustomed to this treatment."

"I'm counting on it. I'll send the boys in to say bye, then you get some rest. I'll be in the other room with the guys. Bart should be back soon, and Victor should be done soon with the research."

"Come wake me if you guys find anything?"

"As soon as we know something substantial. Now get some rest."

With one last smile as he walked out of her room.

Oliver entered the kitchen and stopped at the sight. While he was taking Chloe to her room, Bart and Victor had arrived joining A.C. and Clark at the kitchen table.

He felt a nostalgic feeling come over him as he took the scene in.

For the first time in five years, the Justice League was together again.

* * * * *

That's chapter 7! I apologize for the delay in updating. School's been a little insane and I haven't had much free time between that and work. I hope to keep the updates coming faster. Please review and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Christmas Shoes

Author: Elizabeth

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action

Summary: It has been 5 years since Oliver quit being Green Arrow. He has lost his faith in humanity, and with Christmas right around the corner finds himself lacking in the Christmas spirit. When he meets a young boy buying a pair of shoes for his dying mother, Oliver finds himself confronting old demons as well as facing the opportunity to learn what being a hero is all about. Along the way he will rekindle old friendships, find love with an unlikely person, and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Spoiler: Up to season 8 at least through episode 7 Identity. What might have happened if Clark didn't convince Oliver to become Green Arrow again.

-Jimmy and Chloe never got engaged, and Chloe still works at the Daily Planet!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or its Characters. They are property of DC comics, the CW and other highly paid writers and creators. The Song Christmas Shoes is not mine and is sung by various artists, my favorite being Newsong.

A/N- Big Thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and extra thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review!

Chapter 8

December 20th

Surprisingly the reunion of the Justice League was not as uncomfortable as Oliver anticipated.

While there was a slight hesitance in the overall acceptance of his presence back into all of their lives, it was apparent that the common ground they stood on helped alleviate any would be tension.

Past demons aside, for the five men sitting around the table their entire focus was solely on saving the woman who was responsible for saving each of them at one time or another.

In the super hero business, it is very difficult to form and maintain relationships both romantic and friend wise. That on top of the fact that each of them are orphans in a way with little or no family made it so that they had limited people they could turn to in times of need.

Chloe became that person. She was there to fill the empty void as a confidant, friend, co-conspirer, mentor, family and so much more. The name Watchtower suited her in more ways then one with the way she always watched out for all of them.

And now it was her boys turn to watch out for her.

"Alright Victor, what do you got," Oliver said easily falling back into his roll as leader.

"Well, after analyzing and compiling all of the information Chloe had and that I was able to find, I was able find evidence of the cure."

"But didn't we already know there was a cure," Bart asked through a mouthful of burrito spraying it everywhere.

"Dude," A.C. said shaking his head in disgust at Bart.

Victor shot Bart an annoyed look as he flicked bits of burrito from his laptop. "We may know about the cure, but I needed to find evidence of its existence so that I knew where to look for its location. I also needed to find the antidote they made that we need to get our hands on in order to save Chloe."

"OOOhhhhhhhh."

"Anyway, so I was able to track confirmation of the cure to three separate locations. My guess is that it was either moved from one location to another or someone out there is covering their tracks, maybe a little of both."

"So you don't believe that the cure is at all three locations," Clark asked.

"No I don't. Luthorcorp tends to have one main focus at each individual location at any one time. It's easier to shut down that way if needed. More then likely there is a place where all records and samples are kept, but as of now I haven't been able to crack that mystery. It's actually something Chloe and I were looking into before, uh," Victor cut off shooting a glance at Oliver, then clearing his throat, "never mind."

"Right, so how do we determine which location is the correct location," A.C. asked bring his hands behind his head.

"We will have to go old school on this, surveillance and maybe a little breaking and entering. If I can get a look at each facilities database, I should be able to determine what's going on there and at what location the cure and the antidote are being held at."

"Can't you just do your computer nerd hacking thing to get the information," Bart asked.

"No I can't _just do my computer nerd hacking thing,_" Victor said rolling his eyes. "These databases are set up to be extremely secured and protected. So while I could hack in and get what we need, I would also set of numerous red flags alerting LexCorp that someone was hacking in.I considered piggy backing on one of the servers, but that could set off a trigger and would more then likely bounce the information all over sending us on a wild goose chase. If I had time I could set up backdoors and successfully make my way into the individual Networks, but that kind of computer access can take weeks or months."

"And we only have days," Oliver said blowing out a frustrated breath. "If they catch you in their systems and realize what you are looking for they will move the cure before we get to it. If that happens we will have to start looking all over again."

"Exactly. But if we can get into each of the individual facilities, I can tap into the main computer without drawing any attention. Also we can survey the area and determine our best strategy for getting in and out as quickly as possible," Victor finished saying leaning back in his chair crossing his arms.

"Not a lot of time for error is there," A.C. said grimly.

The five men sat around the table in silence contemplating the situation. Over the years each one of them had engaged in many heroic missions. But compared to the one they were about to set out on those missions paled in comparison.

"Well," Bart said standing up. "We don't have much time so we better get started. We shouldn't waste too much time. Some of us," he said looking over at Oliver, "are a little rusty and may need some extra time to prepare."

"Don't worry about me, I'm just as ready as the rest of you are."

"Are you sure? I mean, have you even tried on your old costume?"

"What exactly are you implying?"

"Just that leather can be really tight you know," Bart darted over to where Oliver had stood up and patted his stomach lightly. "I'd hate to see any extra rolls there have trouble breathing."

"I do not have any extra rolls!" Oliver said through clenched teeth reaching out to grab Bart who easily sped away hiding behind Clark's chair.

"I'm just saying man, I'm looking out for you. Gotta watch out for chafing you know. Happens when things are…tight."

"My costume isn't tight!"

*****

A/N: There you have it, Chapter 8! Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Sorry for the long delay. School got a little crazy.

-In the reference I made about all the heroes being orphans, I am assuming it's true through what I have read. If they are not technically orphans, I believe that for the most part each of them no longer has any real family they can turn to. If I am wrong in anyway, please let me know.

Anyway, thanks for reading, please Review and tell me how I'm doing!!


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